I think the OPs argument (which I am not endorsing) is that they in fact enjoy a higher quality of life even if their "standard of living" (measured in purchasing power) is higher.
But then it's the same the other way around "Would you trade your dirt floors for linoleum if it meant you hard to do hard labor 40 hrs a week?" and "Would you trade your witch for the luxury of owing the doctor thousands of hours of labor?" would both also be resounding nos.
I know there is a growing contingent of those moving off of the grid and spurning modernity for log cabins built by hand, and the converse OLPC in dirt huts thing but for the most part everyone everywhere wants to have their cake and eat it too.